1 Lucky Texan

definitely worth checking for stuck calipers, e-brake dragging.

I will try to remember to measure the one in my wife's outback when I get home. The overall shape/design I'm certain is the same. I think there might be 3 colors - certainly 2 colors, of them as well.

90% sure that is 00-04 gen Outback/Legacy

I'm just some guy that's read a lot about soobs trying to help over the internet - I dunno what is 'possible' really. It does seem like the driveshaft needs to 'cleared' completely of blame before getting too crazy. I suppose you could swap left and right axles and see if the vibration moves to the driver's side. Can you get someone to shift the car while stationary and some listen for the clank at each corner? maybe someone could suggest a Subaru-experienced mechanic in your town that could check it out.

OK - the way I interpret the OP, the clank and vibration were BOTH there before the new axle - maybe I'm wrong. He may need to get it completely off the ground and have someone shift from fwd/rev and look/listen at the driveshaft and the transmission mounts, etc. Also, disconnecting the drive shaft and monitoring for the clank could tell you where the problem is - but it does sound like it's gonna be tricky to diagnose. BE CAREFUL!

huh...reminds me of the Banana Splits dune buggy - wonder who made those?

isn't this the one that's next to the temp gauge sender but with an xtra wire? Pretty sure it's not an 'uncommon' failure as many times as I've read about it. also, anyone know if post 2002 cars still have this sensor?

we'd all like to thank for helping to flush out all those old, nasty, silver GR-2s. :^)

I'm glad to read people say they last. I just put 4 on my wife's outback (03 H6) and like the ride. maybe picked up one more little rattle - probably due to the xtra firmness - but really, you can't feel it in your butt, just, the car feels tighter somehow. Of course, 3 of the struts may not have been that bad since only one rear was leaking oil. But , after comparing the new ones with the pull-offs, the new ones returned better after compression so - dunno how that would compare to new OEM. Her car only has 64K but, it's 96% or so secondary roads. And the bad rear strut mustv'e lost it's nitrogen as well as it's oil cause it wouldn't return at all. I got my struts from Amazon(actually, Just Suspension was the seller I guess). $279 If you have any split boots on axles, now's a good time for that work too. I replaced a front/right half axle at the same time as the strut install.

^^^this

you said there some steering wheel shake too? Hold are the struts/shocks? maybe a bad strut and a slightly out-of-balance tire is bouncing. You could have someone pace the car and monitor wheels. Or, maybe you could just borrow and entire set of 4 off a buddy/or someone's snow tire set, just to change the dynamics of all the wheels/tires for a test.

dunno about outside the US, but you could look around cars101.com.

you say you hear the motor? maybe the fan is slipping on the motor's shaft.

Did they have something similar to this before? (rear suspension parts on Foresters, or maybe some anti-sway bars or ???) And, are south, southwestern States excluded?

I admit to being ignorant about phones. Just pointing out that some of the gear that's easier to haul into the car than a full laptop, may require some xtra steps to set-up for scanning.

what have you been driving before? Soobs will rotate more neutrally or like a RWD car. If you've been driving Civics or Escorts, they understeer so - this car will feel different. maybe you could find a buddy with a Soob and ya'll swap and try (safely) some maneuvers, then compare notes. It may be you need to get to a skid-pad or a track and familiarize yourself with the Soob's handling. Also, experiment a little with tire pressure, sometimes and xtra 5-10% on one end over the other will make big changes in handling.

Did someone mix tires on the car? If someone put cheapo bias-ply on the car, mixed with radials, it can feel like driving on bowling balls. Or perhaps you have broken/damaged suspension parts - get it checked/fixed ASAP. and maybe someone can recommend a mechanic in Columbus if you don't know one.

have a coupla buddies pace you on the road and observe all 4 wheels for bouncing (bad strut/shock or tire) and 'run-out'/wobbling. If nothing odd is seen, probably the driveshaft or ??? I never did win an argument with DiscountTire about a vibration with a bad tire. Then, it started showing it's steel belt after only being 2/3rd worn out. Glad I complained twice because they knocked off $$ on my next set of 4. However, that vibration did change when the tires were rotated, definitely felt in the steering wheel too. At that mileage/age, if you are on original shocks/struts - they are likely shot. That's about 10K miles or less per year. That usually means a lot of secondary roads and stop-go type driving. Rough on suspension/drivetrain parts.

******but i forget sometimes too******* lol!!!!

My guess is 4EAT - no. But, isn't the new auto different and maybe the clutches would be OK? you didn't say what car.

That is why some people don't like the laptop - based cables, just too much gear to be careful of. Now there IS a unit that has a wireless bluetooth connection to your laptop. Might work with a netbook and maybe a smartphone. like this; http://www.dealextreme.com/p/obdii-bluetooth-car-diagnostic-cable-black-blue-orange-dc-12v-42825 dunno how you get the disc data into a netbook or onto a phone though....

Yeah, I have a mdeium/cheap model and it's been great. Git it from Amazon. FreezeFrame, reads CANbus. - my boss'es $200 scanner couldn't connect to a co-worker's Mercedes, my several year old $90 Innova did. And it hasn't been connected to get updates since I bought it. (note to self, check for updates to your scanner) They are nice to have around, but I use it on my friends and kids cars more than my own.

If it's rebuilt, doesn't that mean the DOJ 'can' is Subaru?

Good post. As for the clunk, is it 'felt' as well as heard?. Is it more likely to happen when moving over a bump or dip, or when maneuvering tightly but on flat ground? Just throwing out some wild guesses here; torque bind, frozen U-joint, broken anti-sway bar, bad strut or strut mount.

In addition to your cars other fluids - it has been known for people to get plastic bags or other debris melted onto the exhaust. Anyway - hope you can narrow it down.